Food Myths

10 Urban Food Myths

There have always been rumors
spread about food. Remember the one about the Kentucky Fried rat or Mikey, the
kid from the Life cereal commercials, who allegedly expired after washing down
his Pop Rocks with a Coca-Cola? These, like so many, turned out to be
apocryphal, but now in the age of the Internet, it seems like there's always
some story making the rounds about a grocery item that will poison you or a
food that will miraculously cure what ails you. Here are some myths we were
able to dismiss.

Eating
carrots improves night vision. This rumor apparently was
started by the British during World War II, after a new British radar device
began greatly assisting in the shooting down of German bombers at night. Not
wanting to alert the Germans of the new technology, the government spread a
disinformation campaign that the British pilots' love of carrots was the cause
of their keen night vision. It spread like wildfire and it has become a staple
in parents' arsenals for getting kids to eat their veggies. Carrots are
generally good for your eyes though as studies are beginning to show a link
between increased beta-carotene (carrots are loaded with it) consumption and a
decrease in macular degeneration.

Turkey
makes you sleepy. It's true that turkey contains
tryptophan, the amino acid credited for the poultry's alleged soporific
effects, but beef, chicken, meat, milk, and beans also contain tryptophan and
they don't seem to make you pass out on the couch after dinner. Turkey's bad
rap probably comes from the famous post-Thanksgiving food coma, which was
probably not induced by trace amounts of an amino acid, but more likely by
consuming vast quantities of carbohydrates like potatoes and stuffing, washed
down with a couple of glasses of wine.

Caesar salad was created by or for Julius Caesar.
Actually, despite what they might tell you at the Olive
Garden, the Caesar salad is not Italian food. It was created by Caesar Cardini,
a restaurant owner in Tijuana, Mexico less than a hundred years ago, not in
ancient Rome. The recipe includes romaine lettuce, olive oil, garlic, coddled
eggs, and Parmesan cheese, among other ingredients, but the original recipe
does not contain anchoviesanother myth debunked.

Mentos and Coca-Cola, combined, will explode your
stomach. As any YouTube connoisseur can attest, dropping a
Mentos candy into a two-liter bottle of Diet Coke can create an effect that
will give the fountains at the Bellagio a run for their money. However, despite
rumors of Brazilian youths dying of burst abdomens, this myth seems to be
another of the endless variations on Mikey and the Pop Rocks. There seems to be
little evidence that eating any combination of anything generally considered
edible will make you explode. (Although that Chinese food I had for dinner came
pretty close around midnight.)

Beware of
flesh-eating bananas! There was an email forwarded by many
well-intentioned people not too long ago that asserted that the FDA was
covering up the fact that several thousand bananas covered in germs causing
necrotizing fasciitis (the flesh-eating disease) had entered the country. This
turned out not to be true. A reverse rumor, that humans were killing bananas,
also has circulated. This one says that due to varying explanations, such as
climate change or genetic modification, bananas will be extinct in less than a
decade. This also is false. So, eat your bananas. They're full of potassium,
won't make your skin fall off, and there are plenty more where they came
from.

McDonald's uses kangaroo meat in their burgers.
This is one that's been around since I was a kid. Common
sense can answer this one. While we wouldn't put it past the Golden Arches to
put anything in their food, kangaroo meat seems an unlikely beef substitute as
it costs much more per pound than actual beef. Although adventurous eaters
might consider adding 'roo meat to their diet, as it has more protein and about
half the fat of beef.

Chocolate milk is tainted with cow's blood. This is a popular playground myth that milk too contaminated
with blood to sell as plain white milk is colored brown, flavored, and sold as
chocolate milk. Chocolate milk and all dairy products go through the same
rigorous FDA testing process that regular moo juice does. However, the added
sugar isn't doing you any favors.

Aspartame causes multiple
sclerosis and lupus. Aspartame, often branded as
NutraSweet, has been rumored to cause many serious diseases. While we consider
the jury to be out on whether aspartame is completely safe, there have been no
reputable scientific studies linking the sweetener to MS, lupus, cancer, or any
other life-threatening illnesses. However, it still can't claim to be totally
healthy. Read Steve Edwards' "The
Worst Food on the Planet", for more about why you should lay off the diet
soda.

Canola
oil is toxic. It's been rumored that canola oil contains
the same toxins found in mustard gas. Canola oil is made from oil pressed from
the seeds of the rape plant, a member of the mustard family. There is actually
no such plant as the canola, but it's easy to see the marketing problems that
would result in calling it "rape oil." This may have been one of the reasons
scurrilous rumors have circulated about this noble oil, which is perfectly safe
and rich in monounsaturated fat, the best fat, also found in olive oil and
avocados. As for the mustard gas claim, while it is true canola oil is made
from mustard plants, mustard gas is not. It's called that because of its acrid
smell, not its ingredient list.

Red Bull
causes brain tumors. As a favorite beverage of Britney
Spears and Paris Hilton, it's easy to make a case based on anecdotal evidence,
but there actually is nothing in Red Bull that has been linked to brain tumors.
It has been banned in some European countries because of its high caffeine
content (a can has about as much as a cup of coffee), but aside from the
typical health concerns regarding any sugary, caffeinated beverage, Red Bull
appears safe. Claims that it will give you wings seem unfounded, however, and
when mixed with vodka, it has been rumored to make underpants
disappear.

I am a full time Beachbody Coach. I motivate
and guide close to 2,500 Club members and head a team of 11 Beachbody Coaches
who are all committed to helping you reach your goals. Before joining
BeachBody, I was a certified personal trainer for more than a dozen years and
have been a running coach for over 20 years.
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